Students in Mind
The 'Students in Mind' Project is committed to providing a high standard of sensitive support to both volunteers and service users. The goals are to guide students in Higher Education who may be suffering from varying degrees of mental distress to the most appropriate support, to encourage them to be confident enough to go and seek help if required and to work towards removing the stigma and taboo surrounding mental distress. Students in Mind = Advice, Advocacy and Empowerment for Students in Higher Education who have or are experiencing varying degrees of mental distress.
Main Activity
Once an email has been received by Students in Mind from a student experiencing mental distress the aim is that the volunteers will find the most appropriate services to refer the users to, for eample, a university counselling service, a Nightline service, National Union of Students, NSF, MIND etc. (The volunteers will have access to the databases of national support services including charities and those provided by individual institutuions). The volunteer will explain clearly what each service is to the user. If an email is received from a very distressed student the volunteers could telephone the user if they wish to provide a number. The student volunteers may also act as advocates for the students in distress by offering to contact the service they require on their behalf but his would only done with the service user's permission. Volunteers may also suggesst ways that the student users could plan for their appointment. This mybe particularly useful if there is a waiting time for appontments. Confidentiality will be maintained at all times unless a respondent wishes to be known to the most appropriate services.
Description
Students in Mind is a new national charity specifically for students in Further and Higher Education. The charity will establish various projects/services in order to promote positive mental health. The first Students in Mind service is an early intervention strategy based on unique evidence, which will offer advice, advocacy and empowerment to students who may be experiencing varying degrees of mental distress. It is a socially inclusive service, which will be free at the point of use and easily accessible to its target group. It will bridge the gap between its service users and the professional services complementing a joined up mental healths services approach. Students in Mind is being designed and guided by students and a team of professionals from a variety of backgrounds with the aim of becoming a well co-ordinated proficiently evaluated and accountable service. Students in Mind will act as a 'stepping stone' to further help by encouraging the students who contact us to access the most appropriate support from the most relevant supportive services. It is not designed as a replacement for existing services but rather as a complentary servicem which informs, guides and encourages students to use the available services.
Sectors: mental health, young people
